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The first-year head coach of the Edmonton Oilers admitted Wednesday he’s now coaching the team he has — as opposed to coaching the team he wants it to become.

In questioning from your correspondent, Eakins confessed he’s not coaching the team the same way he did at the beginning of the season.

Quote-unquote: “If your group isn’t suited to play that way, I think that’s pretty damn stupid of the coach.”

The candid confessions resulted from three consecutive questions from your agent to Eakins following Wednesday’s practice in reference to the fact the Oilers have won seven of the last 11 and managed to get points in the standings in eight of those games.

What’s changed to go from 4-15-2 to 7-3-1?

The goaltending? Calibre of opposition? Player buy-in? Coaching?

First, Eakins offered a perspective he felt he couldn’t discuss while the team was Totally In The Toilet as opposed to the more recent Up And Down Like A Toilet Seat phase.

“When we were going through it, I wouldn’t dare say it. But now looking back, I can say it.

“We had a new system in place. We had some players struggling defensively. We got loaded with injuries. We had a terrible travel schedule.

“It was like a perfect storm — a perfect storm in a very bad way. I mean, we couldn’t recover. We just couldn’t find a way to get out of it. And now with the better play, our goaltending has been good and our guys are a little bit more comfortable in our system.

“Are the teams we’ve been playing not as good?

“I don’t know. If you look at the standings, maybe not. But I can’t find an easy game. I mean, we played Colorado. They’re one of the best teams in the league. It’s a tough place to find an easy game. I don’t think there is such a thing as any easy game.

“If I could put it on one thing, I’d tell you. But I think it’s just a whole bunch of things. We’re healthy. We’re a little more comfortable in our skin. We’ve had some success, which breeds success.”

When your agent pursued the concept that a first-time NHL coach coming in with his own philosophies untried at this level and with such an incomplete assembly of players might require significant readjustment, Eakins didn’t dodge the question.

“Well, yeah. I came in and I had a way that I thought this team was going to play. ‘This is how we’re going to play.’ I thought it was important to stick with that.

“But then, when you get to learn your personnel a little bit better, you can do one of two things as a coach.

“You can dig your heels in and say ‘We’re going to play this way!’

“But if your group isn’t suited to play that way, I think that’s pretty damn stupid of the coach.

“You have to adapt and go ‘You know what? Maybe this way is a little bit better for the group.’

“And as we progress and as we get a stronger group, then maybe you can go back to how you really envision your team.

“Maybe I was a little bit ahead of myself and where I thought we could go right away.

“But I just thought it was not a very intelligent way to go about coaching — imposing your will on something that’s not going to work for the players you have at that moment.

“So, yes, we have changed certain things.

“We have changed our philosophy on a few different system things. The hard work, carry water part of it doesn’t change. But how we’ve gone about playing on the ice, has.”

What we’re dealing with here, Eakins admitted, is he’s now coaching the team he has, coming back to the other end of the bridge from coaching the team he’s trying to push it to become.

“I’ve taken a slight step back,” is how he phrased it.

“Where I envision this team going — it’s still going to go there.

“But we’re just not going to go there as quick.

“We’ve got some learning to do. And there’s process to it.

“It’s not drastic. It’s very subtle changes that are very easy to flip the switch the other way once we get to that point.”

The young talent on this team is having to make adjustments during their growth and development years and their talented young coach has discovered he has to do some of the same.

The first-year head coach of the Edmonton Oilers admitted Wednesday he’s now coaching the team he has — as opposed to coaching the team he wants it to become.

In questioning from your correspondent, Eakins confessed he’s not coaching the team the same way he did at the beginning of the season.

Quote-unquote: “If your group isn’t suited to play that way, I think that’s pretty damn stupid of the coach.”

The candid confessions resulted from three consecutive questions from your agent to Eakins following Wednesday’s practice in reference to the fact the Oilers have won seven of the last 11 and managed to get points in the standings in eight of those games.

What’s changed to go from 4-15-2 to 7-3-1?

The goaltending? Calibre of opposition? Player buy-in? Coaching?

First, Eakins offered a perspective he felt he couldn’t discuss while the team was Totally In The Toilet as opposed to the more recent Up And Do